The Fiftyfaces Podcast

Daniele Beasley is a Board Member at Mission Bank, a role she has held since February 2021, and is also a Chief Client Officer in charge of distribution at Apex Financial Advisors. She is a Certified Financial Planner currently focused on using her 30 years experience in the sector to educate and mentor clients  in what she terms “her mid-life reset”.   Our conversation dives in to the theme of diversity and the need for diversity on Boards, as well as the skills that Daniele seeks to bring as a Board Member.  We speak about her passion for serving her clients and enabling them to reach their financial goals - and how financial literacy is important at every age, as is a process of ongoing learning and growth.  As to her personal story we chart her path from learning about potato broking at the kitchen table, to building her own firm to changing direction in a midlife reset.  We remind ourselves of the rules that "it's not how much you make, it's about how much you keep" and of the 80/20 rule of investing in yourself and giving back to others.  Series 4 is brought to you with the kind support of Federated Hermes, Inc., a leading global investment manager. Guided by their conviction that responsible investing is the best way to create wealth over the long term, their investment solutions span equity, fixed-income, alternative/private markets, multi-asset and liquidity strategies and a range of separately managed accounts, distributed through intermediaries worldwide.

Darren Johnson is Chief Operating Officer in Listed Equities and Executive Director at Impax Asset Management, where he is responsible for Global Operations, including Portfolio Services, Technology, Change/Project Management and Client Onboarding. He previously worked in a series of accounting and operations roles.  Our conversation starts with his upbringing in South London and why he was born with a “silver spoon in his mouth”. We talk about the unlikely role model that emerged for him even at a very young age and how that character sowed the seeds for a career in the corporate world.  We turn then to his education and early career and reflect on the lack of empowerment that young professionals sometimes have and how this can deter engagement and motivation. We examine his career path, and the individuals who made it possible, as well as the choices made throughout that path.  In particular we look at the evolution of the asset management firm of today, and how remote working has changed it as well as the changes yet to come, which may shape the power centers of asset managers.  We also discuss the dramatic impact that ESG integration will have and the effect of regulation in this area. In our reflection section we look at how the investment industry and the practice of "mining for talent" can be compared to football (soccer) and the need to look outside the academy for talent.  We reflect on the importance of making excellence a habit and the wisdom of The Four Agreements, which are: don't take things personally, don't make assumptions, always try your best and be impeccable with your word.  Darren was the source for many guests on this podcast series as well as the Diverse Founders and VC series.  He is an active participant on the conference circuit as well as industry affinity groups designed to address low levels of diversity in finance. Series 4 is brought to you with the kind support of Federated Hermes, Inc., a leading global investment manager. Guided by their conviction that responsible investing is the best way to create wealth over the long term, their investment solutions span equity, fixed-income, alternative/private markets, multi-asset and liquidity strategies and a range of separately managed accounts, distributed through intermediaries worldwide.

Anji (Anjuman) Kaur Kang-Stewart is Global Head of Marketing at Man Group, based in their London office.  She previously held a series of senior marketing and business development roles throughout the investment industry and is a Member of the Board of Trustees of Nova New Opportunities and the steering committee of Talk About Black. Our conversation tracks the extraordinary story of Anji's childhood, her Sikh upbringing and her integration into London-based schools and how her late teen years and early twenties took some surprising turns.  We speak about the lessons learned from these setbacks and the supports and structures that enabled her to start her career.Now thriving in the world of finance, we look at the factors that excite her in the area, and the characteristics that helped her to move through the ranks. We speak about how glass ceilings persist in the industry, particularly for women and members of underrepresented groups, and how the low turnover in the industry can cause this to persist.Anji is committed to passing on some of the supports that were offered to her, and we touch on the work being done by Nova New Opportunities, a West London-based diverse community charity with a pioneering approach to social change. Anji was also one of the founding members of the #Talkaboutblack initiative, and is now on their steering committee.There is more information about Talk About Black here  https://diversityproject.com/2018-05-18/so-can-we-talk-talkaboutblack and Nova New Opportunities here: https://novanew.org.uk/about-us/impactSeries 4 is brought to you with the kind support of Federated Hermes, Inc., a leading global investment manager. Guided by their conviction that responsible investing is the best way to create wealth over the long term, their investment solutions span equity, fixed-income, alternative/private markets, multi-asset and liquidity strategies and a range of separately managed accounts, distributed through intermediaries worldwide.

We are back after an eventful summer with Series 4 of the 2021 Fiftyfaces Podcast, with a selection of 10 stories that provide insights from challenges at the beginning, middle and end of life, and the change and personal growth that happens in between. Social mobility is a core theme of this podcast series and we hear how social housing was so essential as safety net for some families and how it provided the stability to start a life. We hear from one guest how he was inspired by Michael J Fox to be driven, wear a suit and pursue an office job, and how this resilience and drive is what he considers being born with a "silver spoon in his mouth".We hear about teenage hotdog stands and photo businesses, how different (and inadequate) financial product training was back in the day, and how the support of others is often the vital link to allow a career to take off.One of our guests is committed to making 500 female fund managers visible, prominent and at the forefront of consciousness. Another made a mid-life reset and is now focused on providing financial advice that emphasizes financial wellbeing. One is the co-founder of a grassroots organization committed to providing social capital to enable Black and Latin-x students thrive in the world of finance, and she repeats the advice she heard to "sit next to the power". We hear about leaning in, focusing on one's strengths, and what a family heritage can teach you about being a survivor in the turmoil of financial services. So tune in to follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Twitter and now Youtube. Series 4 is brought to you with the kind support of Federated Hermes, Inc., a leading global investment manager. Guided by their conviction that responsible investing is the best way to create wealth over the long term, their investment solutions span equity, fixed-income, alternative/private markets, multi-asset and liquidity strategies and a range of separately managed accounts, distributed through intermediaries worldwide.

Gerald Chen-Young is Principal and Chief Investment Officer at GCY Associates, which provides consulting and advisory services based in Washington DC.  He has over 25 years of experience as a Chief Investment Officer, 14 years of which were spent as VP and Chief Investment of the United Negro College Fund.  He previously held a range of financial services roles at firms including UBS, Paine Webber & Riggs National Bank, in different capacities.  Gerald holds post-graduate degrees in Economics from York University and LSE and Law from Univ of Miami Law & AU’s Washington College of Law.  He has a particular interest in ESG issues across the investment landscape.  Our conversation starts with Gerald's upbringing on the island of Jamaica and the culture shock that ensued when he went to a boarding school in Canada during his teenage years.  He began his college education there and we delve into what drove him to pursue degrees in both economics and law and his passion for both areas.  Gerald spent over 14 years at the United Negro College Fund as CIO and we speak about what was at the forefront of his mind in this role.  Gerald was an early adopter of ESG principles and we contextualize this movement by reference to other social movements such as universal suffrage and the abolition of slavery which started on the fringes and ended up in the mainstream. We hear about his passion for food, his belief in the value of sabbaticals and the highs and lows of an extraordinary career.  

Jennifer Ockwell is a Partner at Triple Point Investment Management, based in London, and previously held a series of senior institutional business development roles at large asset management firms.  She is an ambassador for the Diversity Project with a specific focus on the neurodiversity work stream and is a passionate advocate for neurodivergent individuals and their improved integration into the workforce.   She was named “Investment Woman of the Year” and has been recognized for the impact that she has created in the workplace.Our discussion is a refreshingly honest and personal one that starts with Jennifer's initial path in law, and how she found her fit in nurturing corporate environments on the investment management side, where she ultimately headed up UK client businesses. We learn what triggered her interest in ensuring that neurodivergent individuals are welcomed into and allowed to flourish in the workforce, and we speak in particular about some of the extraordinary talents that are being overlooked due to a preference for conventional hiring practices. This ties back to an earlier discussion we held with Oli Shakir-Khalil about the need for better mental health advocacy and awareness in our workplaces and in general for the need to be more flexible around how different approaches to work are welcomed.Neurodiversity is a topic close to my own heart as well as Jennifer's and this is a conversation that is probably overdue and often forgotten as the lens firmly focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion issues. I hope you enjoy our efforts to remove some of the taboos and start talking openly about these issues. 

Toyin Alalade's last role was as a Senior Strategy Manager with Royal London. She previously worked in a range of financial and marketing roles at Standard Life and Moody Monday. She recently left Scotland and  returned to her home country of Nigeria, and it was a moving Linked In post that she wrote that led me to her. Our conversation starts with Toyin's upbringing in Nigeria and what led her to university and the first part of her career in the UK.  She describes how she settled there and eventually made Scotland her home.  We talk about graduating with an engineering degree into a bleak job market and how she stumbled upon a career in finance and investing almost by accident.  We discuss the ups and downs of a career in finance, the importance of seizing opportunities and the need to be flexible and adaptable as the industry's opportunities ebb and flow. Moving then to what prompted her move back to Nigeria just this summer, we learn of the confluence of professional and personal opportunities that enabled it and Toyin's initial impressions of returning to Nigeria as a professional and her assessment of the opportunities in store. We take a short detour into another one of Toyin's passions - interior design - what sparked that and how it may be more and more relevant to how we build our workplaces going forward.Finally we turn to what inspires her - to a discussion of her parents and other key people (including many women) who have inspired her in the workplace.  We refer to a creed, which is "whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might", which captures Toyin's commitment to doing her best at whatever she finds in front of her.  It is an uplifting and life-affirming message. 

Stephan Breban is Head of Research at Renewity, the Founder of Giants Shoulders Capital and a consultant to a number of different firms.  He is known as one of London’s original (and legendary) private equity investors and advisors and has witnessed some of the good, the bad and the ugly of that the sector presents. We had the pleasure of working together, side by side in our own entrepreneurial ventures, for over a decade.I have been keen to get Stephan on the podcast for some time, because I knew that his years of industry insight and reputation for straight talking and calling "a spade a spade" when it comes to difficult topics would make for a refreshing and insightful conversation. And he did not disappoint.This sweeping conversation took us from his internship in an actuarial firm that he started at the tender age of 14, through his years as an actuary and then investment consultant and how he became one of the first private equity specialists in this area decades ago. We dive into why private equity makes sense for investors - institutional and high net work alike - and how he would approach constructing a portfolio today. As a seasoned investor Stephan has seen a few fund failures and debacles in this arena and we talk through the lessons learned there too.We then move to the area of investing in Africa - long an area of expertise for Stephan, and explore why so many investors skip the onsite due diligence part and therefore fail to fully understand the opportunity in this area. We finish with our usual discussion of diversity in the profession and what can be done to address it.  Stephan, again, does not hold back in his prescription for change and progress.

Deb Clarke was Global Research Chair and Global Head of Investment Research at Mercer for close to 16 years, following an extensive career in asset management and consulting which included 20 years as a portfolio manager.  She retired from her position at Mercer in June 2021 and is building a portfolio career, including a NED role on the EMEA board of Blackrock and a member of the UK CFA Institute Advisory Board. She is an active speaker on the conference circuit and has been voted in the FN 100 Most Influential Women in Asset Management in 6 of the last 9 years.   Our conversation tracks Deb's career progression, what drove her move to London, and later to Chicago for a few years.  We talk about what led her to a research role, her investment beliefs as well as the advice that she gives to younger career professionals.  My favorite part of this podcast was the time we spent discussing Deb's prodigious craft collection - as an avid quilter as well as a cross stitch and crochet expert, and I deliberately recorded a video so that we could showcase some of Deb's masterpieces - see the linked video on Linked In.  This may be a skill that is in shorter and shorter supply now, but hear how Deb's heartfelt creations put the S in sustainability and recycle meaningful strands of lives lived into a gorgeous portfolio.

Mark Steed is Chief Investment Officer at Arizona PSPRS Trust, a US public defined benefit fund with over $13 bn AUM, where he has spent over 14 years.  He previously worked as a banker and prior to that as a financial analyst, and has a Masters in Predictive Analytics.  He describes himself as an “investment ideas” guy and an out of the box thinker at that.  This wide-ranging conversation canters through multiple topics - from pension fund governance to building and maintaining a motivated team that has clear career trajectories to the power of data.  We then move to some specific opportunities (in broad terms) that have been of interest recently - noting their diverse and diversifying nature - including English soccer clubs, e-sports franchises and the bereavement business.  Mark also comments on the innovations that the team is seeing in emerging markets and China in particular.Mark is unique in the pension fund arena for the breadth of his vision and his careful referral back to data and to analyzing his own and his team's predictions and for course correction in real time.  Faced with a steep return target (as is the case for many US public funds) he looks for ways that the pension fund assets can be optimized for return and an all-weather profile.Innovation and empowerment of team members is a hallmark of the investment style at Arizona PSPRS and it is fascinating to hear how more pension funds might be set up for success in this way. This series was made possible by the kind support of MainStreet Partners, a London-based independent and dedicated sustainable investment advisor that provides ESG multi-asset and multi-manager portfolios and a range of holistic portfolio analytics tools including sustainability ratings and bespoke sustainability intelligence. It was also supported by Carbonado Partners, an industry expert in capital raising for all asset classes, that endeavors to provide thoughtful solutions that address emerging managers’ perspectives and challenges.